Pilot of missing helicopter found alive in Myanmar

YANGON (AP) – The Thai pilot of a helicopter that went missing in a mountainous part of Myanmar almost two weeks ago has been found and taken to hospital.

The pilot – identified by Thai media as Chatchawal Thanthong – arrived in Yangon late Wednesday. He’d been flown from northern Kachin state after a search party discovered him earlier in the day.

His helicopter disappeared Sept 27 as it was delivering supplies to rescuers looking for lost climbers on one of Myanmar’s tallest mountains. Two other men were on board, both from Myanmar.

Hope was fading for the crew when one of the men walked into a small town Tuesday. He said his crewmates were still alive, prompting the search that found the Thai pilot. The other crew member is still missing.

This picture taken on Oct 8 shows injured Thai pilot Captain Chatchawal (C) being offloaded from a rescue helicopter at Putao airport, in Myanmar’s northern Kachin state, after he was airlifted from a village in a remote part of the state – AFP